Valentine's Day: Mass Effect (Reupload)
by EndlessExplorer
Summary: Some Valentine's Fluff that I made for the occasion. MirandaXMaleShep. A re-upload because of a font issue.


**Australia, Shepherd Residence: Date:14th of February 2190 AD**

The sunshine broke through the blinds and landed on Miranda's face. While Miranda was usually an early riser, today, she had a day off and decided to indulge in the rare amount of time off. Incoherently, Miranda patted the bed, expecting to find William still asleep beside her, strangely though, he wasn't. Cracking open one eyelid, Miranda noticed that without the lone ray of sunshine that woke her, she'd have been sleeping in total darkness. Listening, Miranda couldn't hear anything. No coffee dispenser, No toilet, No television. It seemed like she was on her own.

Sitting up at the side of the bed, Miranda grabbed her silk robe off the floor and wrapped the cords tightly around her waist. The golden 'M.S' initials glistened, even in the dark. An elaborate gift that Kasumi had gotten for Miranda for her and William's wedding. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Miranda walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. After fixing the one or two stray hairs, Miranda looked like her usual self again. Leaving the bathroom, Miranda headed for the kitchen, still finding the house seemingly deserted. It was strange, because William would always tell her the night before if he had work off world but as much as Miranda could remember, like her, William also had the day off. Being an Alliance Admiral had the perk of deciding when you worked.

As Miranda walked into the sitting room, the blinds automatically pulled back, revealing the glistening Australian countryside. The sky-car was still parked out front, which meant that either William was still in the house or he ran the 20-30 kilometres to the nearest town. William was a bit of a health freak but running that far would be crazy. Miranda felt a faint breeze on the back of her neck and pulled the collar of the robe tighter around her. Miranda turned and found a note pinned to a wooden post that stood between the Kitchen and Sitting room. Pulling the note from the tack in the wall, Miranda ran her thumb over the note saying, 'read me' before she continued.

 _"Dearest Miri,_

 _Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you haven't forgotten? Anyway, I've had this planned since last year… I'm somewhere in the house, and I've your presents with me. Find me and you get rewarded. Fail and… well let's face it, you won't…_

 _Hope you don't take long,_

 _Will."_

"Damn! I've been so busy lately that I forgot to get something for William for Valentine's Day! I suppose I could find something comfortable and have William unwrap me… but I've to find him first." Miranda thought to herself. Thinking, Miranda wondered where she should start. Sure, William had his usual spots in the house, but they'd be too obvious. As well, William Shepherd was the best Infiltrator in the whole Alliance Navy. Miranda wouldn't admit it to anyone, herself included, but even she couldn't beat him at his own game. William was a master at blending into the shadows, only pouncing on his prey when it was too late. Miranda would have to keep her wits about her if she was to win this, and as the note said, she wasn't going to lose.

First stop was the target range that William had set up in the shed outside. Both William and Miranda were naturally competitive and even more so when they were going up against each other. Nearly every week, William or Miranda would come into the house, a towel thrown over their shoulder, bragging about their new score, and usually an hour or two later, that time would be beaten, and the cycle would repeat. The leaderboard was cleared at the end of every week, so things were always interesting. Leaving the house, Miranda headed for the range. A bark distracted Miranda for a moment and turning her head, Miranda saw Mordin, their year-old Golden Retriever, barrel across the garden towards her. Miranda was a bit apprehensive about getting a dog at first, but after holding Mordin as a pup, Miranda fell in love instantly. Mordin sat on his hind legs, as Miranda ran her hand through his soft coat. Spotting another note attached to Mordin's collar, Miranda petted Mordin with one hand, as she opened the note with the other.

 _"A word of warning, you aren't allowed to use our child against me. Mordin is off limits until your little treasure hunt is over. Enlisting Mordin's help is an automatic disqualification._

 _P.S: Still waiting…"_

Miranda laughed as she scrunched up the note and deposited it into her pocket. After petting Mordin for another moment or two, Miranda bent down and picked up a stick. Throwing it far, Miranda headed into the range, only to find it as deserted as the house. All Miranda found was another note attached to the stock of her custom Wraith pistol. With William's sizeable salary, he managed to fill the range with an armoury full of enough firepower to make a whole Krogan Clan cry, or Wrex at least… Miranda remembered how William had bought her the custom pistol because he remembered how she had lost her old one when she was rescuing Oriana from Henry back on Sanctuary. It was an odd sentiment, but one that Miranda appreciated all the same. Grabbing the note, Miranda scanned the contents.

 _"The range would be too easy. Put some thought into it. I'm in the last place you'd expect."_

Leaving the range, Miranda had another look around. The pool was out, as she'd be able to see him from where she was. Deciding to check the library, Miranda headed back towards the house. Despite being a soldier, William had wanted to have a library installed so that he and Miranda could relax together in front of the large fireplace. Miranda had been behind the idea wholeheartedly and the room quickly became the centre piece for any gatherings that had gone on inside the household. Miranda had surprised William by also having a fully stocked bar installed sometime that he had been away on some diplomatic mission. Entering the library, the fireplace automatically ignited, filling the room with a familiar and inviting amber glow. The room was always the perfect temperature and there had been some evenings when Miranda and William had simply cuddled together on the couch, Mordin asleep in front of the fire, watching the rain fall against the windows, simply content in each other's arms. It was strange to them both in the beginning, but Miranda and William quickly adjusted to civilian life, despite having been spies or soldiers nearly their entire adult lives, or in Miranda's case, since childhood. On the couch, sat a copy of some fantasy series that William liked reading. Another quirk of William's was how much of a self-titled 'nerd' he was. William loved reading fantasy or science fiction novels while Miranda would rather non-fiction books. Whenever Miranda would ask William about his choice of books, he'd simply give the same reply each time. That he'd had enough of how sad and pessimistic reality could be and sometimes, being able to escape reality was therapeutic.

Another note was attached to the cover of the book. Replacing the book on the shelf, Miranda opened the folded sleeve of paper.

 _"If you really want it, I'll give you a hint. Just know that this will hurt you're grade at the end of this hunt… Come and look for me in one of the places you've been already. See you soon."_

Miranda laughed again. "Cocky bastard" she thought to herself. Thinking, the only place that he could be would be the bedroom. Feeling the flush creep onto her cheeks at the thought of what he'd want in the bedroom, Miranda felt herself eagerly want to find out what her 'present' could be. Throwing the now useless scrap of paper in the roaring fire, Miranda climbed the stairs to the second floor. Just as she placed her hand on the doorknob, Miranda decided to go back to the bathroom in the guest room and freshen up. Stepping in front of the mirror, Miranda looked herself over. Hair, perfect. Face, clean. Grabbing her make-up, Miranda used her mascara to make her blue eyes stand out, and a crimson lipstick to finish off the look. Before leaving the mirror, Miranda pulled down the white tank top that she had been wearing to squeeze her breasts together, just enough. Miranda knew exactly how to get William under her spell. He didn't call her the 'siren' for nothing…

Going back to the master bedroom, Miranda pushed open the door and blushed at the sight that lay before her. William was lying on the bed reading, with a whole breakfast tray beside him, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. Miranda closed the door behind her and leaned onto her hips. She noticed William look up at her, then his eyes fell to her chest. Miranda saw lust burn in William's eyes and that was just the sign that she was looking for. The siren strikes again…

"Finally, you made it! I was afraid that I'd have to go and remake everything again. Happy Valentine's day Miri!" William said, putting his book down and grabbing a piece of toast off the tray.

"Where the hell have you been? How did you get around me so easily?" Miranda asked, sitting on her own side of the bed. Grabbing the glass of water, Miranda took a sip as she waited for William's answer.

"That's the funny part. I've been here all morning. I hid in the closet and then after you left, I just put everything together. It only took you an hour to find me… Gonna have to do better next year." William said, the playfulness evident in his eyes. While William had gotten many new scars over the course of the Reaper War, the one thing that Miranda was happy that never got damaged was his eyes. They were always so expressive of William's true thoughts and Miranda found them captivating. They were the only original part of him left after Project Lazuras as well.

"So, you had me walk all over the house just, so you could set up a breakfast and sit down? Why not just have me come back after 10 or so minutes? Wouldn't that have been easier?" Miranda enquired before she started eating the small stack of pancakes that William had made. Miranda had to admit, the man can't dance but he sure can cook. Delicious.

"Yes, that would have been easier, but then Mordin wouldn't have gotten to see his mommy. I can't deny him that right, especially since I plan to have you all to myself for the rest of the day…" William whispered, against Miranda's neck. The heat of his breath made the hairs on Miranda's body stand and suddenly, Miranda found that she wasn't that interested in the breakfast anymore. Picking up the tray, Miranda placed it on a dresser at the other end of the room. Heading into the ensuite bathroom, Miranda closed and locked the door behind her, to stop any chance of an intruder coming in while she was still getting ready. Annoyed that the make-up would be wasted, Miranda grabbed a cloth and cleaned it off. Knowing what she and William were about to do, the make-up would just get smudged and destroyed. Taking off her tank top, shorts, bra, and panties, Miranda reached into the press, hoping to find something that she had hidden in there in case of a rainy day, or a sunny day… She'd probably have been able to use it during a blizzard as well…

Pulling out a new pair of lingerie, Miranda slid her fingers over the soft silk material. Putting them on, Miranda also put on some perfume and looked herself over again in the mirror. The bra squeezed her breasts just enough so that they were bulging, but not spilling out. Opening the bathroom door, again William was nowhere to be seen. "Damn cloak" Miranda thought. A laugh erupted from somewhere in the room. Miranda walked out, letting the word "Marco" roll off her tongue. Finding herself pushed up against the wall, William leaned in again, whispering "Polo" as he gently kissed Miranda's neck. Miranda couldn't see him, but she knew that it was her William. He knew exactly where to touch, which buttons to press, which levers to pull and soon Miranda's libido started going into hyperdrive as William started trailing feather light kisses down along Miranda's shoulder blades, chest and along her breasts. Neither of them were rough lovers, but their passion could have destroyed a Reaper. Miranda could feel herself getting wetter as William continued his actions and when Miranda felt William's cock pressing against her thigh, they both allowed themselves to get consumed by their burning passion and wholehearted love for one another. Losing all sense of time, in the end both William and Miranda were sore and sweaty by the time that they had burnt themselves out. The sheets would have to be changed and Miranda would have to buy some new pairs of lingerie, seeing as William had literally torn them off her body, multiply times using his teeth. They were like animals gone wild, but the sheer strength of their mutual orgasms made it all worth it in the end as they lay together, in each other's arms, trying to recover any bit of their spent stamina.

A rumble broke the silence and William sat up in the bed. His arms and legs felt like jelly despite the amount of cybernetics that he had in his body. He'd never been this exhausted in his life, not even when going up against the Reapers.

"Do we have anything for dinner?" William asked. Miranda groaned beside him as she also tried to pull herself up. William wrapped his arm around her before they both tried standing up. William wobbled and fell into Miranda's arms and they both started laughing. William had thought that his life would begin and end on a battlefield, that he'd be taken out by some lucky stray bullet and that would be that. But no, here he was in the arms of the love of his life, Miranda, his wife and best friend besides Garrus. They had a life; a home and William wouldn't change it for anything. Nothing would take it away from him.

"We could try and order a pizza? Or I think we still might have some lasagne left over from the other night. We could reheat it?" Miranda said, as she pressed a kiss to William's forehead. William returned the kiss before he pulled himself back up on his feet. Looking down, William grabbed Miranda's panties and bra up off the floor and threw them over to her, she passed him his boxers and they got dressed into their bedclothes.

"I'd say the pizza. After our day long workout, I wouldn't trust myself around anything that could start a fire…" William said, laughing. Holding each other close, both William and Miranda walked downstairs and after letting Mordin back inside, the family settled in their usual place, together, cuddling by the fire.

"Happy Valentines Day Miri" William said, kissing Miranda.

"Happy Valentine's Day Will" Miranda replied, kissing William back.


End file.
